All the Roads We Have to Walk Are Winding
by wishingonlightning
Summary: When Emma almost dies at the blade of the figure under the hood, an unlikely aid comes in the form of The Evil Queen. Now, not only must Emma figure out who is trying to kill her, but deal with the hot and cold Evil Queen, whom Emma is hesitant to trust, but can't seem to stay away from. And that's not to mention the sudden longing she feels every time Regina walks into the room.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Beautiful cover art by maidenwar**

Regina flinches as the swords clash together, the sound piercing right through her. Magic tingles from her palms to her fingertips tips, sparking a deep violet, and she reaches her hands forward out of instinct. But any attempt to throw off the figure under the hood could just as easily distract Emma. She tries not to think of the consequences of that mistake.

Snow shakes beside her, and David's knuckles turn white in his fists. The pirate takes a step forward, to do what, Regina doesn't know.

Emma loses her footing as her opponent brings its sword down faster than she expects. She falls to one knee in the effort to block the blow. Regina's breath catches in her throat and she feels so helpless that it is a physical ache in her chest.

Emma jumps back to her feet, blocking the next blow with more success. She swings her sword toward the figure's chest, blade slicing through the thick black robes, but still not close enough to inflict the damage she needs to gain the upperhand.

But it's enough to give Emma the confidence to take a step forward, bringing her sword down with a crash against the hooded figure's sword. She takes another step, brings her sword down again. Regina's breath comes out in a rush.

"You can do this, Emma." The words are a whisper, lost in the screech of metal on metal.

Regina hears a whimper and turns her attention away from the battle just long enough to see Henry standing behind her. Poofing him away somewhere safe, somewhere he won't run the risk of seeing his mother fatally wounded, crosses her mind.

Henry would never forgive her.

So she reaches her arm out behind her and feels Henry's fingers, clammy from fear, grip tightly with hers, and turns her attention back to Emma's fight.

Henry's presence grounds her, stops her fingers sparking with magic that is begging to be released. Instead she wills Emma to hold onto the upper hand, to wound the figure just enough that she can get away, or that Regina can finally use her magic to stop the figure from going after Emma. So Regina can ensure that Emma is, and always will be, safe from this threat.

Emma brings her sword down again, but instead of blocking her blow, the figure steps out of the way of the blade, and the momentum behind Emma's swing has her stumbling forward. She lifts her sword as quickly as she can, spining to the side. She leans back, a second too slow, and red seeps from the gash on her arm, running down to her elbow in streaks.

The pain is clear in Emma's eyes and she moves back to regain her footing before the next strike. She makes to block the next blow, but her arm shakes with the effort and it's just enough to send the weapon flying behind her.

Quiet sobs shudder from Snow, and Regina moves forward, despite Henry's grasp, and lifts her free hand, vibrant flames coming to life. She brings her arm backward, above her head, ready to release a weapon of her own. But the ball of fire is thrown off course as she watches with dread as the figure brings it's sword forward one last time, its blade slicing through the middle of Emma's torso.

Regina pulls her hand from Henry's, running forward, barely registering the figure's retreating form as it disappears from sight completely.

"No!" Snow shouts, voice breaking on the word.

Emma falls to her knees as Regina reaches her, dropping to the ground beside her. "Emma," Regina says, and gently wraps her arms around Emma's shoulders and lowers her to the ground.

Shadows, cast by the streetlight above, fall over Emma as the rest of her family rushes across the empty street and to her side. Regina's hands have already lifted to just above Emma's stomach, red blood dying her white tank top, as the others reach them.

Regina doesn't hold her magic back this time. She calls forward the lightest magic she can summon. Magic is fueled by emotion, so she lets herself be consumed, letting hope run through her veins. She pictures Emma healthy, standing tall, grin stretching easily across her face. She pictures Emma holding her baby brother, cooing softly as he laughs in her arms. She pictures Emma as she looks at her, carefree and so, so alive.

She puts everything she has into her magic, desperate for the wound to close, for the bleeding to stop. Sobs and pained voices make up the circle around her, and chip away at her concentration.

"Back off," she snaps. "I can't save her if you won't shut up."

Purple engulfs the middle of Emma's body as silence falls among the small group around them. Regina grunts with the effort, blood still leaking from the wound despite the healing magic running through her body.

"Come on, Emma. Please," she says voice breaking. Blood pools to the ground.

"Stay away from her," David snarls from behind her, but Regina barely hears it.

"Your daughter is already dying; what more damage could I do?" That voice is enough to startle Regina from the task at hand, and she lifts her eyes to see her evil half sauntering forward.

Hook moves to block her way, but with a wave of her hand he is thrown back, landing hard against the street. The Evil Queen has a smirk on her face, but as she looks down at Emma her face hardens to an unreadable mask.

"What do you want?" Regina gasps out.

"Do you want my help or not?" The Queen asks in a bored tone.

Regina studies her for a moment, can see the tension in the way she holds herself, can see _something_ behind her eyes. She hesitates a second longer before nodding and turning back to Emma. She hears The Queen kneel across from her, and another pair of hands reach forward, fingertips bumping together. Purple light joins purple light as The Queen casts forth her magic.

"Please. Please," Regina chants over and over again. The Queen's magic spills out with renewed force, and Regina uses every last ounce of strength she has and wills it to be enough.

Regina's eyes fill with tears, slowly spilling over, the sight before her becoming nothing more than a violet blurr.

"Come on, Regina," The Queen taunts in a strained voice. "If you're so _good_ , then save Henry's other mother. Save the _Princess_."

"What do you think I'm trying to do?" Regina growls, hands trembling violently. "I will save her. I have to save her." Her tears fall in earnest now.

"Then do it. Save her. You know the easiest way, Regina. Use what has always come natural to us," The Queen says.

Regina lifts her eyes to The Queen. "Not like that," Regina says. "Not with anger."

"What then? With _love_?"

Regina lowers her eyes back to Emma, and blinks away the tears. Beautiful, brilliant, brave Emma. She focuses on the blood stained fabric, on the fatal wound she knows lies beneath, and pictures flesh stitching itself back together, mending, healing; she can feel the heat beneath her palms, can feel her magic take purchase.

With a still glowing hand, she pushes the stained tank top up to just beneath Emma's breasts. She lets out a sob at the smooth flesh she sees; the only evidence of the stab being a thin line, two inches in length in the center of her stomach. She runs her fingers over the mark, blood coating her fingertips, and lets out another sob even as her lips turn up at the corners in a smile.

She doesn't dignify The Queen's question with an answer.

"Emma," she says. The purple fades from her fingers as she brings her other hand to brush the hair from Emma's eyes. "Emma." Her voice turns frantic as the blonde's eyes refuse to open and her breathing remains shallow.

"We have to- we have to get her to the hospital," Regina says, and begins to gather Emma in her arms.

She distantly hears the footsteps of the Charmings rushing forward in aid, now that Regina has done all that she can do. But Regina, Emma and The Queen are wrapped in a cloud of purple before anyone can reach them.

"You can't just leave Henry-" Regina blinks her eyes at the bright fluorescence of the hospital's lobby.

Their sudden entrance is met with a surprised shout as a nurse jumps out of the way.

"Henry is with those idiots he calls grandparents," The Queen says to Regina, before turning her glare to the nurse, a hand resting on the thick skirts covering her hip. "Are you going to do something about this, or not?" She gestures to where Regina and Emma lie huddled on the floor.

The nurse stares, frozen, at the sight before her. Regina holding Emma to her, an arm wrapped tightly behind Emma's shoulders, their clothes and bodies stained with blood.

"Get help now," Regina says tightly, looking down at Emma in her arms.

The nurse skitters off without a word, and The Queen sighs loudly. "I'll never understand why you've gone so soft. It accomplishes _nothing_ ," she says, glaring in the direction that the nurse disappeared.

Regina opens her mouth to respond, but the sound of a gurney clanking down the hallway draws her attention away. Whale follows closely behind, frowning at the sight before him.

The nurses reach Regina's side and bend down to lift Emma from her arms. "No," Regina snaps, and disappears. She reappears standing beside the gurney, Emma lying upon it. One of the nurses curses under her breath, but regains her footing quickly.

"What happened to her?" Whale asks, his eyes darting to The Queen, who rolls her eyes.

"She was pierced by a sword. We healed it as well as we could, but-" Regina trails off, hand resting gently on Emma's wrist.

Whale begins to push Emma away down the hall, and Regina follows him step for step. He stops and sighs. "You need to wait, Regina. Let us run some scans and I'll let you know the moment I know how she is. Plus, if you could..." He glances over her shoulder where The Queen leans against the wall, glancing down at her perfectly manicured nails with a smirk on her face.

Regina closes her eyes, lips pressed in a tight line. "The second you know _anything_ -"

"I will come find you," Whale assures. Regina nods, casting one last look at Emma, skin so light, so delicate, traced with a spiderweb of veins and dotted with blood. She chokes on the lump in her throat, and backs into the wall.

She feels The Queen's skirt brush against the damp fabric of her slacks. Regina waves a hand, ridding her clothes and the floor of blood.

"Love is weakness, Regina," The Queen says without preamble.

Regina takes a breath and looks her other half in the eyes. "You have all of my memories, and you can still say that?"

The Queen's face contorts in pity. "Look at you. You're a wreck, and that is not a good look on either one of us, dear."

"You know as well as I do that love is strength, that I would not be where I am if it wasn't for Henry. If it wasn't for my family."

"Strength?" The Queen scoffs. "But not enough strength to deal with yourself as you were, not enough strength to love yourself when you were whole?"

Regina's face hardens, tears still silently streaming down her cheeks as she looks at The Queen.

"Strength from my family who loves me how I choose to be. _I_ have a family now. People who I love that love me in return. When have we ever been able to say that? _People_ , Regina. There is so much strength in that."

The Queen rolls her eyes. "And what of your little princess? If she dies?"

"Don't," Regina snarls, pushing off the wall and getting within inches of The Queen's face. Her other half simply looks amused. Regina's fists clench where they're raised in the air, and her eyes darken; The Evil Queen meets her gaze without faltering.

After a minute of neither woman moving, Regina lets out a breath and takes a step back. "Why are you here? What is your endgame?" she asks.

The Queen shakes her head. "Now where would be the fun in answering that?" she asks with a laugh. "I have my own reasons for saving the princess, but you need not worry about that, dear. Besides, shouldn't you be thanking me? I'm the only reason the princess even has a pulse."

"If that was your goal, then mission complete. What does this hospital have to offer you now?" Regina says.

The Queen's eyes dart quickly down the hall where they had taken Emma, before darkening and looking back at Regina.

"Oh," Regina whispers. "You're not done until you know she's safe."

The Queen's laughter echoes down the empty corridor, and had it not been Regina's own laugh, she wouldn't have heard the pain masked beneath.

"We aren't so different after all, are we?" Regina asks, voice still soft. The Queen opens her mouth to respond, but Regina shakes her head, silencing her.

Regina walks down the hall to a small waiting area. At the sight of The Queen following behind, the few people in the room leave, eyes averted. The Queen sneers, but otherwise passes Regina into the room, lifting her glittering skirts as she sits gracefully in one of the cheap, straight backed chairs.

Regina walks to a chair across from The Queen, before stopping, looking at the senseless patterns of grey of the hospital carpet, and turning around to sit beside The Queen. She feels her tense beside her, but relax a moment later as Regina folds her arms over her chest and settles into her chair.

The quiet tick of the clock on the far wall counts down the seconds, each one stretching on and on in a blur and neither women are sure if only minutes have passed or hours, when rising voices, nearing closer and closer jolt the women from the confines of their own mind.

"Call her cell phone again, Henry," Snow says, voice rising higher. Regina pulls her phone from her pocket, it's battery dead, and shoves it back into place.

The Queen's face grows tighter, her mask slipping into place at the sound of Snow White's voice.

"Play nice," Regina says, rising to her feet.

"I shall do no such thing," she responds, but stays where she is as she glares at the opening of the room.

"Henry," Regina calls, stepping into the hallway. David, Snow, Henry, and the pirate turn at the sound of her voice.

"Mom," Henry says and throws himself into her arms. "Is she okay?"

"Doctor Whale said he would let me know as soon as he knew anything," she tells him, holding him tightly to her chest. "We managed to close the wound and stop the bleeding, but I don't know if-" Henry looks up at her, eyes wide with fear, and she kisses his forehead. "We closed the wound so that is one less obstacle for the doctors to worry about. Now we wait."

"Now we wait," Snow echoes. Regina tears her eyes away from Henry, and finally looks at the rest of her family.

Snow is trembling as she leans into her husband's side, and David has his arm wrapped tightly around her waist, his eyes red rimmed. The pirate slinks behind them, staring down at the floor as he clenches the one hand he still has into a fist.

Regina turns, arm still tightly around her son as she leads them back into the waiting room, occupied only by her double.

" _Her_?" the pirate sneers as he walks into the waiting room and notices The Queen.

" _Me_ ," she replies hotly, and Regina knew her warning was pointless.

"How do we know you weren't behind this to begin with?" He steps around the Charmings until he's directly in front of The Queen.

"I suppose you don't," she says, standing, and managing to be imposing despite being the shorter of the two.

"If you don't leave-" he snarls.

Regina untangles her arms from around Henry, and grabs the pirate's hooked arm as he raises it into the space between The Queen's face and his own.

"Sit down, both of you. No one in this room did anything that would cause any harm to Emma. There is not a single person in this room that does not wish for her to come out of this alive," Regina says.

"But how do we know?" Snow asks, glancing at The Queen.

"She is not going to harm Emma or anyone else here," she says and The Queen snorts. Regina turns to look at her. "You are not helping the situation, dear."

"You can hardly blame me with the filth that is in this room," she sneers.

"You need to leave," David says from Snow's side. "My daughter almost _died_." His voice cracks on the word.

"But she helped save Ma," Henry says, and looks toward The Queen with all the hope of The Truest Believer etched upon his face.

"Yes," she says. "If only to have my own fun with her later." Her eyes twinkle at the outrage in the room at her implication.

Henry's face scrunches up in disgust. "Ew."

"You will do no such thing," Regina says, with all the authority of the queen she used to be and the mayor that she still is.

"Well, one of us will," The Queen says quietly enough that only Regina hears it over Hook's shout of anger. "As much fun as this has been," her voice rises above the pirate's," I am growing rather nauseous at the smell of unwashed pirate."

Hook takes another step forward, only to be met with a cloud of purple.

"How dare she insult Emma that way," he says.

"I don't know what she told you, Regina, but you and I both know what she's capable of," Snow says, and Regina nods.

"You think I don't know that?" Snow flinches at the venom in Regina's voice. Regina deflates; Snow doesn't deserve her reaction. "We're all on edge right now," she says, voice softening. She sinks back into her chair, her exhaustion at the fear of losing Emma and the strain of the magic she used, finally getting the better of her.

"We don't know what The Queen is planning, but she helped Ma," Henry says, and takes the seat next to Regina. "She helped save her."

"She did," Regina agrees placing her hand atop Henry's on the armrest of his chair.

"What does that say about her now that she helped save Emma?" Charming asks, taking the chair next to his wife, across from Regina and Henry.

"She has her motives, I'm sure. But I do know that she wanted to help Emma. What she plans to do now, any of us could only guess at," Regina says.

"I always knew there was good in her, in you," Snow says.

"But I took that good from her," Regina says. "She is who she is because of the decisions I chose to make."

"Is now really the time to be talking of The Evil Queen?" Hook interrupts. "After what just happened to Emma." He stands between the two sets of chairs, chin held up high.

"I know what has just happened to my daughter," David says.

"And if we sit here and think only of that, we are all going to lose our minds before we can find out how she is doing," Snow finishes David's thought.

Hook let's out a sigh and slumps down in the chair beside David. "I don't like it," he says.

"And you think the rest of us do?" Regina says, too tired for her voice to be as harsh as she would prefer.

"I think everyone is so focused on what the Evil Queen did that they are forgetting that there was someone else putting Emma's life in the balance," he says.

Regina nods. "The figure under the hood."

"Who could it possibly be?" Snow asks. "Who from this town would want to hurt _Emma_?"

"Maybe they're not from this town," Regina says, and they all fall into silence, each lost in thought.

Henry leans his head on Regina's shoulder and closes his eyes, Regina's hand moving upwards to run her fingers through his hair.

The clock continues to quietly tick off each second and each minute, the soft noise mixing only with the distant footsteps in the hall.

Henry's breath puffs against Regina's neck as he dozes, folded up in a chair too small for his growing limbs, when she hears the steady sound of footsteps invade the quiet of their room. She opens her eyes to see Whale standing in the doorway. He meets her eyes, and after a moment of silence, gives her the smallest of smiles. Her breath rushes from her lungs and she nods, once, then twice.

Emma is alive.

"Henry," Regina mumbles into her son's hair, and smooths her hand down his arm.

"Mm?" He opens his eyes and looks to his mother, before his eyes grow wide, finally noticing the newcomer in the room. "Is my mom, okay?" he asks, moving to the edge of his seat.

The doctor nods. "We had to give her a blood transfusion. Had Regina not stopped the bleeding when she did-" He shakes his head, lips falling in a grim line. "We did an MRI to check for any inside wounds, but everything has healed up as it should. I'd like to keep her for a day or two for observation.

"She's resting now, but if you would like to-" He motions to the hallway and Henry jumps to his feet and follows the doctor as he leaves the room. Snow and David follow quickly behind him, the pirate leaving the room without a glance back at Regina.

Regina moves to stand, but her legs tremble and she doesn't dare to place any weight on them just yet. She rests her elbows on her knees, head in her hands, and the tears she thought had since dried up fall easily from her eyes again.

She sucks in a breath, and tries to calm her breathing; Regina's attempts to steady her breaths fail miserably, the tears falling faster as she muffles a sob in her hands.

 _Emma is alive. She will be just fine._

But the thought only makes the tears fall faster, even as her stomach surges in relief.

She doesn't hear David approach and startles when a hand is placed on her shoulder. "Regina?" he says.

She wipes her eyes and looks up, giving him a watery smile. "I'm sorry," she says, wincing at how her voice cracks.

"No," David says. "You saved my daughter's life. Whale said it himself. Had you not closed the wound when you did-" He takes a deep breath. "She is alive because of you, Regina."

She squeezes her eyes shut. "It wasn't just me, David. I couldn't have done it by myself." She opens her eyes, and while they are still brimming with tears, they do not fall.

"Whatever she is planning, whatever motivation she has for helping you save Emma's life, it doesn't matter. Because whatever it is, Emma will be here to help us fight it.

"Now let's go see Emma," he says and takes her hand, pulling her to her feet. He releases her hand when the reach the hallway, instead taking her arm in his. She leans into his side as he leads her to Emma.

 **A/N: I'd love to hear what you thought, so leave a comment and let me know. =)**


	2. Chapter 2

A light breeze blows in from the open hospital room window, ruffling Regina's hair, where she sits in a folding chair across from Emma's bed. Hook slumps in the chair at Emma's bedside, staring dejectedly in front of him.

Regina looks down at the book in her hands; hours later and she's only managed a handful of chapters. She sighs, and closes her eyes, resting the book on her lap. When Regina's dark brown eyes reopen, Hook is glaring at her; she raises an eyebrow.

"Is there a problem, Your Majesty?" he asks, just disguising his sneer.

"Yes, there are many problems right now, Captain. Where should I begin?" Regina asks, arms crossed over her chest.

Hook opens his mouth, but Regina silences him with a glare. "This situation is no easier on the rest of it than it is on you. Don't think for a second that everyone is having an easier time dealing with all this than you are."

"Had your magic actually done its job in the beginning, Emma wouldn't be here right now," he comments loudly, waving his hook over Emma's sleeping frame.

"You think I don't know that," Regina hisses. "And keep your voice down. The last thing Emma needs is her boyfriend getting himself kicked out of the hospital - as entertaining as it may be." The corner of her lips quirk up in a smile.

He reaches forward with his hand and takes Emma's in his own. "I'm not leaving here until she wakes up," he says and leans forward to press a kiss to her hand. Regina's nose wrinkles in disgust.

"All the more reason for her to wake up soon," Regina says under her breath as she picks her book back up and continues her guise of reading to pass the time.

They fall into silence for a time, Hook letting go of Emma's hand as he stares off into space. The soft voices of the nurses filtering in through the partially open doorway and the quiet drip of the IV are the only sounds to be heard.

Regina just looks up from her book when she sees it, a twitch of the blankets at the foot of the bed. She jumps to her feet and moves to the side of the bed. She takes Emma's hand in hers, thumb brushing gently over the back of it.

"Emma," she says, and reaches forward with her other hand to brush the hair from Emma's forehead. Emma's hand squeezes hers lightly before her eyes blink open, squinting at the light of the room.

"R'gina?" she mumbles, voice rough from sleeping all night and most of the day.

"Swan," Hook cries, leaning over her.

"Killian," Emma says, and looks up at him with a smile.

"I was afraid I'd lost you," he says, and takes her her other hand.

"Why don't you alert the nurse that Emma is awake," Regina tells Hook. He glares at her, but agrees when Emma squeezes his hand and lets it go.

"As you wish," Hook says. He pushes open the door and leaves the room.

"How are you feeling?" Regina asks when Hook is gone, giving Emma the gentlest of smiles.

"Uh." Emma stretches out, moving each limb and wincing. "Sore. Definitely sore. What happened?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" Regina asks, still stroking the back of Emma's hand.

"The figure under the hood, we fought and-" She looks down to her stomach and lets go of Regina's hand to pull her hospital gown up over her stomach, blankets falling low on her hips. "But? Didn't..." She runs her fingers over the barely visible line across her stomach.

"Did you think I was going to just leave you there to die? Really Miss Swan, I thought we established long ago that _I don't want to kill you_ , so god forbid I let someone else do so either."

Emma laughs quietly and pulls her gown back down over herself, before reaching out and taking Regina's hand again. "Really, though? You did that?" She rubs over her stomach. "That was a hell of a wound, Regina."

Regina's shoulders tense and Emma's eyes narrow at the movement. "I thought we already established that I did," Regina says, voice harsh in her defensive state.

"And I thought we already established that I always know when you're lying," Emma says, eyes narrowing.

"I'm not lying about anything. I _did_ heal your wound," Regina says. Emma stares at her for a moment before sighing, and suddenly she is the one rubbing her thumb over the back of Regina's hand in comfort.

"I know you're not," Emma says, leaning back against her pillow and closing her eyes and she runs her other hand through her hair. "But I do know there's something you're not telling me." She yawns loudly and looks back at Regina. "But whatever it is can wait until I'm actually awake."

Regina's lips form a tight line, but she nods. Emma gives her an encouraging smile, and after a moment of fighting to keep her face straight, she cracks into a smile. "I'm glad you're okay, Emma."

Emma laces their fingers together and her smile grows wider. "You can't get rid of me so easily-"

Hook walks back into the room, Nurse Ratched behind him. He glances down at Regina and Emma's entwined fingers with a frown. Emma follows his gaze and, with a small sigh, untangles their fingers. Hook moves back to his side, on the other side of her bed, and immediately takes ahold of her hand. He sends a smirk to Regina that Emma misses as she gazes down at her own blanket covered body.

The nurse walks up beside Regina, close enough that their arms brush. Emma's eyes zero in on their touching arms, and Regina inches away.

"Are you feeling any pain? Anything in your abdomen?" Nurse Ratched asks.

Emma shakes her head. "No."

"You're just lucky the mayor was there. She saved your life," she says and smiles at Regina. She puts a hand on Regina's arm, squeezing it; her hand stays in place for too long to be considered just a friendly gesture.

Regina's lips press together tightly as she steps from Nurse Ratched's grasp, and moves to the foot of the bed.

Hook looks on amused, keeping his laughter inside.

Emma glares at the nurse. "I'm awake and I feel fine. Can I get out of this place now?"

"That is for the doctor to decide," Nurse Ratched says. "I'll let him know that you're awake." She smiles at Regina one last time and leaves the room.

"Where is Henry?" Emma asks when she's gone, looking back at Regina.

"Your parents are bringing him by after school," Regina says, glancing at the clock on the wall. "They should be here anytime."

"What all does he know?" Emma asks.

"Everything. As much as I wanted to send him away last night, we both know he never would have been okay with that," Regina says.

Emma bites her lip and nods. "No, he wouldn't have been."

"He's a strong lad," Hook says. "The boy will be just fine."

Emma smiles up at him. Regina wonders if she's just projecting when the smile doesn't seem to reach Emma's eyes.

"Why don't you go and call the lad then? See if he's on his way," Hook says looking to Regina. She glances down to Emma, and waits for the woman to nod before stepping into the hallway.

Regina dials Henry's number on her cell phone and walks down the hall as she waits for him to pick up.

"Hi, Mom," Henry greets. "Is Ma awake yet? Regina smiles at the enthusiasm in her son's voice.

"Yes, she woke up just a little while ago," Regina says.

"Gram, Gramps! Ma's awake," Henry tells his grandparents and Regina can hear their excited responses through the phone. "We're just a few blocks away; make sure she stays awake until we get there."

Regina laughs. "I will try my best, but you know how stubborn your mother can be." She hangs up the phone and walks back down the hall. She freezes in the doorway when she sees Hook bending over Emma's bed, his hand wrapped around her neck as he kisses her. She clears her throat. "Am I interrupting something?"

Emma instantly jerks away from Hook and leans her head to the side to get him to remove his hand from her neck. Her cheeks blush a deep red. "Sorry."

"There's no need to apologize. He is your boyfriend after all," she says, and if her gaze falls to Hook, full of distaste, she really can't be blamed because it's nothing in comparison to the sneer he sends her way.

"Henry is on his way with your parents," Regina says, turning her attention back to Emma. "He made me promise that I would not let you fall asleep before he got here." That pulls a genuine laugh out of Emma.

"I don't know if I'll make it much longer when he does get here, but I'll do my best," she says with a grin.

"No one will fault you for falling asleep, you need your rest," Regina says, fully stepping into the room.

"Aye, we need you healed so we can get you home," Hook says.

"I've only been awake for a few minutes, and I _want_ out of here. This bed is doing terrible things to my ass," Emma says shifting. "You should do something about that, Madam Mayor." Regina blushes, and Emma is quick to continue, "Not like _that_. I just meant that you're the mayor, gift the hospital with new beds. The patients and their asses will thank you for it."

Regina laughs. "I know what you meant, dear." She looks down at the foot of Emma's bed, biting her lip to hide her smile.

Doctor Whale enters the room and smiles at Emma. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine. Just like I told the nurse," Emma replies grumpily.

Regina glares at Emma, who shrinks slightly at Regina's disapproval.

"The Sheriff would like to know when she can go home," Regina says.

"Yeah, sorry," Emma says.

Whale looks at all of Emma's information that is logged onto the computer, and nods. "You appear to be healing as well as anyone could, having suffered the injuries that you did."

"Ma." Henry burst into the room behind Regina. "You're still awake." His grin stretches from ear to ear.

"Well, I didn't want your mom to break her promise," Emma says, giving Regina a grin. She returns it easily.

Henry sits on the edge of the bed as Snow and David walk into the room.

"Doctor Whale was just letting us know when Emma can be checked out," Regina tells the newcomers.

Everyone turns their attention back to Whale.

"As I was saying, you seem to be healing well. However, I'd like to keep you for one more night just to make sure that no complications arise. If you are still showing signs of healing then I see no reason why you can't go home tomorrow."

"Okay, thanks," Emma says. Whale smiles and leaves the room.

"Oh, Emma. How do you feel?" Snow asks, walking over to beside Henry and placing a hand on her daughter's forehead.

"Mom," Emma whines, but allows her mother to keep her hand where it is. "I'm not sick."

"I know, Honey. But it's easier to think of it that way, than the real reason that you are in here." Snow's eyes dart to Emma's stomach quickly before returning her gaze to Emma's face.

"How are you feeling?" David asks, standing at the foot of the bed.

"Alright," she says. "Exhausted though."

David nods. "The fight itself probably didn't help."

"No," Emma says. She lifts an arm and winces at the ache of her muscles. Regina mentally admonishes herself for noticing Emma's defined arm muscles. Sore or not, they are a sight to behold.

"But the wound is still completely healed?" Snow asks.

"Thanks to Regina," Emma says with pride.

"And her Royal Majesty," Hook mumbles.

Emma's head snaps to him. "What?"

A smirk crosses over his face. "Did she forget to mention that?"

Emma looks back to Regina, but before she can so much as think up a response, Henry interjects.

"It was awesome, Mom. The Queen showed up and and we thought she was going to do something bad, but she _helped_ ," Henry says.

"She helped?" Emma says, dumbfounded.

"She did," Snow agrees.

"Mom's magic wasn't enough, but she showed up and their magic together was strong enough. Once the wound was closed Mom brought you guys here."

"No," Regina says, clearing her throat.

"No?" David asks.

Regina shakes her head. "I didn't bring us here. The Evil Queen did."

"There has to be some other reason she did," Hook says.

"Because she wanted Ma to be okay," Henry says, exasperated that no one else in the room is able to grasp this simple fact.

"She did? She _saved_ me?" Emma asks, eyes wide.

Regina holds herself together, arms tightening around her middle. She knew she couldn't have saved Emma by herself, but the words still cut.

Snow glances at Regina, looking at her proudly. "She _and_ Regina saved you. I don't know that either one of them could have done it on their own. But together, it was magic. Literately."

"But why?" Emma says, still just as confused as she was a minute ago.

"That's what we've all been wondering," David says.

"I know she's the worst parts of you," Henry says and looks at Regina. "But even when you were The Evil Queen there was still good in you. That's how you've gotten where you are. So maybe deep down there is still that same good in her."

Regina smiles at her son; it's a nice thought. "Maybe you're right, dear," Regina replies, though she doesn't believe a word of it. It's too much to ask for. But the look in The Evil Queen's eyes when she looked down the hall where the doctor had taken Emma, flashes through Regina's mind. Maybe The Queen doesn't know how to love very well either.

Emma yawns, and Snow rubs her hand down Emma's arm. "Go ahead and sleep now, Emma. Henry has gotten to see you."

"Yeah, you should get some rest Mom."

Emma smiles, already half asleep. Hook leans forward and gives her a quick kiss. "Sleep well, love."

"'Night," Emma mumbles. Snow pulls Emma's blankets higher around her and tucks them into her sides.

Emma's breathing evens out and Snow runs her hand through Emma's hair, and leans in to kiss her forehead.

"She's alright," Snow says to herself, taking a deep breath. "She's alright." She looks up from Emma at the others in the room. Henry smiles at her, holding onto Emma's hand as she sleeps. Regina is watching Henry, her smile proud. Hook sits back in his chair beside the bed, holding onto Emma's other hand.

David is looking directly at Snow, and he smiles when their eyes meet. "She's alright," he agrees.

They are silent for a moment, watching Emma, as well as watching each other.

"What are we going to do?" David asks, breaking the silence. "Whoever tried to kill Emma is still out there somewhere."

"Aye," Hook says. "There are many new people in town. It could be anyone."

"Do you think somehow this could go back to Hyde?" Snow addresses the group. "Could it be possible that this was somehow set in motion before he died?"

Regina frowns. "I suppose it's possible. Who knows what other connections he had back in The Land of Untold Stories and how many of those connections have followed him here." She paces back and forth in the small space of the room. "If only there was someone…"

"If only there was someone who?" Snow asks.

"You're not going to like this," Regina says. She stops pacing and looks to Snow before glancing at David. "There is one person we know that was close to Hyde before he died."

"Regina, no. You can't trust anything she says," Snow tells her.

"You do forget that we are the same person, Snow," Regina says. Snow opens her mouth to disagree. "I know, I know. We _are_ different, but at the core we are still the same person. She may not tell me the truth, but I will know if she's lying. It's worth a shot."

"She did save Ma," Henry reminds them. "There has to be a reason she did that."

"I don't like it," Snow says. "But that doesn't really matter, does it?" Regina gives her a grim smile, picking up her coat and folding it over her arm.

"Keep thinking of anyone else who could know anything about what happened to Emma," Regina says. She steps forward, taking Henry's chin in her hand, gently tilting his face up, to place a kiss on his forehead.

Regina steps out of the room, slipping into her jacket as she walks down the hallway, heels clicking as she goes. Nurse Ratched meets her eyes as she passes the nurse's station. The nurse smiles, and Regina forces a smile of her own in return.

When she pushes out of the hospital doors, a crisp breeze washes over her. She takes a deep breath before disappearing in a cloud of violet smoke.

She arrives just outside of her family mausoleum, unlocking the door and pushing inside. As she steps down the stairs, she hears movement from below.

"If you were looking to hide, this really wasn't the place to do it," Regina says, reaching the bottom of the stairs and leaning against the wall.

The Evil Queen has her back to Regina, opening and closing the drawers that line the wall. She scoffs and looks over her shoulder. "This is my vault. If I _were_ hiding, I would indeed go somewhere you wouldn't think to look." She turns back to ruffling through a drawer; she sighs and slams it shut.

Regina crosses her arms over her chest and raises an eyebrow. " _Your_ vault?"

"What's yours is mine, dear," The Queen says without turning around.

"That's not quite how it works," Regina says and pushes off from the wall. The Queen grabs an old, worn book from a shelf and drops it on a table. Regina winces as dust flies into the air.

The Queen opens the book and turns to the table of contents, scanning the page with a black painted nail. She clicks her tongue when she finds what she's looking for and turns hurriedly to the page.

Regina looks over her shoulder and her eyes widen as she looks down at the page. "Oh, please don't tell me you're planning on using another curse. There's been quite enough of that."

The Queen looks up at her, eyes wild. "I'm doing what you've been too emotional to do, while all caught up with your little _family_." She looks back to the book and skims the page, frowning as she moves to the next page.

"And just what, pray tell, have I neglected doing?" Regina asks, leaning her hips against the table.

"You and the _Charmings_ have been so focused on the poor princess, that you've yet to place any thought as to why she got where she is," The Queen says with a sneer.

"You would know what we have or haven't done, how exactly?" Regina asks, eyes twinkling.

The Queen pauses, page lifted mid air, before she turns it with enough force to tear the page partially from its spine.

"As you have - stupidly, I might add - forgotten, love is _weakness_ , and while you have been so focused over the dying princess, you haven't given any thought to the threat in _your_ town," The Queen says.

Regina rolls her eyes. "Actually, that's why I'm here."

The Queen's head snaps up. "Oh, don't tell me you actually believe I'm behind this."

"There are those that do believe that, but I-" her eyes narrow, "am inclined to disagree."

The Queen snorts. "I'm sure the pirate was the first to bring my name into the conversation." Regina ignore the comment, and The Queen smirks knowingly.

"That is not important. As you have pointed out," Regina looks pointedly at all of her shelves that have been left in disarray, "we need to figure out who _is_ behind this. If anyone comes after Emma again..." The Queen's posture stiffens. "You really are affected by all of this, aren't you?" Regina asks.

The Queen adapts a haughty expression, and rolls her eyes. "It's hard to be on top if you don't know what you're up against," she says. "And if you think that has anything to do with your sad excuse for a savior, well," she laughs loudly, "then you just continue to sink lower and lower." Her voice is taunting, eyes dancing in the flickering candle light.

Regina smiles. "Then forget about the savior. The real reason I came here is Hyde. You were closer to him than anyone else here-" The Queen cuts her off with a laugh.

"Hyde was bested by his lesser half, so if you think he'd be capable of having an attack like this carried out after his death then you have more faith in him that I ever could have." She slams the book closed and saunters across the room, back to Regina.

"There was no one else he mentioned being in contact with? Anyone at all?" Regina asks, and picks up the book and puts it back in its place on the shelf.

"If there was, he didn't tell me, and I didn't ask. I'm growing rather bored of this conversation, dear," The Queen says, looking over shoulder. "If you don't go back to your savior soon, then I may just have to do it for you." She bats her eyelashes, and spins on her five inch heels.

The Queen walks toward her, grin mischievous. "I'm sure there's some fun to be had in that," she says and stops in front of her double. She looks Regina up and down, taking in her black slacks and silk, maroon button up, before side stepping the queen. "Have fun with your research."

Regina pulls out her cell phone as she watches The Queen ascend the stairs. She dials a familiar number and puts the phone to her ear.

"Regina?" Snow answers.

"I'm going to be in my vault for the next hour or so; if I show up at the hospital before then, call me immediately," Regina says.

"If you? But- Oh. The Queen?" Snow asks worriedly.

"She hinted that she might try," Regina says, rubbing her palm against her temple. "If she does, don't let on that you know. Just call me as soon as you can without making it known what you're doing."

"Okay. Did you find out anything from her?" Snow asks.

Regina sighs. "If she knows anything, she's not planning on sharing that information with anyone. But if this figure under the hood does have anything to do with Hyde, I don't think that she knows about it."

She holds her phone with her shoulder and reopens the top drawer that The Queen had been digging around in. "She seems to want to know who is behind this is as much as we do," Regina says.

The background voices on Snow's end of the line go quiet, and soft footsteps echo through the line. "Do you think she wants to know because of Emma?"

"I think that may be a part of it, but mainly I think she's just concerned for herself. If she can get on the good side of this figure under the hood and use that relationship to her advantage, she would. If she can benefit from it, she'll do it, no matter who gets hurt in the crossfire," Regina says and moves onto the next drawer.

"And if whatever she finds out could help Emma?" Snow asks.

"Then she'll use that information, in whatever way she thinks will benefit her most," Regina says.

Snow's quiet breathing is the only sound on the other end of the line for a moment. "You really weren't as bad as that. You do know that, don't you, Regina?" Snow asks softly.

"Wasn't I?" Regina asks, closing her eyes. "I know that I've changed, and I know that she is the worst parts of me. But I was still _her_." She runs a hand through her hair and lets out a breath. "But right now the only thing that matters is trying to stay one step ahead of her, and figure out who attacked Emma."

"Okay," Snow says. "Just as long as you know that we don't blame you for anything that she has done since you've split, or for anything that she might do."

"I know," Regina says, opening her eyes, she goes back to her task at hand. She closes the drawer roughly before opening the next. "Just give me some time to see if I can find anything and then I'll call you."

"Good luck," Snow says, and disconnects the call.

Regina tucks her phone into her pocket, and rifles through yet another drawer.

Emma blinks open her eyes, and then closes them tightly. The hospital room has been dimmed for the night, the light from the hallway filtering in through the crack in the open door, but it's just bright enough to sting Emma's eyes after having them shut for hours in sleep.

She cracks open her eyes again, and stretches her arms out in front of her. She catches movement to the left of her, and gasps. "Shit, Regina. I didn't know you were still here."

Regina smiles fondly, and crosses her legs where she sits, in the chair beside Emma's bed.

"Yes, well, your mother didn't want you to be left alone all night. So Henry is staying at the loft with your parents," Regina says.

Emma smiles and settles back into her pillow. "Thanks for staying, Regina."

"You're welcome, dear," Regina says, brushing her hand over Emma's knee over the blankets. Emma's eyes drift down to her leg when Regina's fingers brush over her thigh. Regina's cheeks darken and she draws her hand back.

There is a knock on the door before it's pushed open and Nurse Ratched steps into the room. Her eyes briefly land on Emma and then rest on Regina, a smile tugging up the corners of her mouth. "Madam Mayor," she greets.

"Nurse Ratched," Regina says, leaning her elbows on her knees, the neckline of her shirt falling low enough to show the black lace of the bra underneath.

Emma and Nurse Ratched follow the movement, eyes drawn to where Regina's shirt hangs open. Emma stares for a moment before realizing where she's looking, and turns her gaze instead to the nurse standing on the other side of her bed.

Nurse Ratched watches Regina with a leering smile, and when Regina sits back she has a smirk on her face. Emma looks from the nurse to Regina, with a frown.

"Did you need something, Nurse Ratched?" Emma asks. The nurse turns back to Emma a beat too slow.

"Y-Yes, Sheriff Swan, just coming to check your vitals," she says, and checks Emma's temperature, before turning to the computer in the corner of the room.

Nurse Ratched enters the information into the computer, her eyes searching Regina out every few seconds. Emma's frown deepens.

"Is everything as it should be, _nurse_?" Regina asks, turning the word into a caress.

"Yes, Your Majesty," she says, no longer pretending to look at the computer screen.

"Then can we please have some privacy?" Emma snaps. "It's late, and I'd like to get back to sleep."

"Of course, Sheriff," Nurse Ratched says to Emma, but doesn't look away from Regina. "Is there anything I can get for you? Anything at all?"

Regina's smile takes on a predatory edge. "Well-"

"No. Nope, we're just fine, thanks," Emma says, her glare burning hot enough that the nurse peels her eyes away from Regina, and backs out of the room.

"Well, that wasn't very nice," Regina says with a pout, and stands. "I'd better just-"

"Sit down, _Your Majesty_ ," Emma snaps.

"Why, Miss Swan," Regina leans over Emma, trailing a finger down her cheek, "I'd be careful, or one might think you're _jealous_ ," Regina whispers the word, and laughs. Emma bats her hand away.

"What did you do to Regina?" Emma asks and sits up straighter in bed.

The Queen sits back in her chair, lounging gracefully. "I've done nothing to my lesser half." She rolls her eyes. "She is home with Henry, safe and sound. Why is it you all always jump to the conclusion that I've done something wrong?"

"Because you usually have," Emma reminds her. The Queen waves a dismissive hand.

"Don't forget, dear, that if it wasn't for me you'd be three floors below in a body bag." Emma frowns, but doesn't disagree.

"So then, what do you want? You're not here to have a casual conversation," Emma says, and crosses her arms over her chest.

The Queen laughs softly. "You may know my other half, but don't assume you know _me_." She stares at Emma, with a hint of… something in her eyes that keeps Emma from fully believing anything she says. "How are you feeling?" The Queen looks down at her stomach and reaches a hand forward; Emma bats it away, yet again.

"You may not believe that I care, Emma. But I did expel quite a bit of energy to ensure that you live and I would hate to see that my magic did a less than excellent job of healing that wound of yours."

"Well, my stomach is fine, all I have to show for it is a scar." Emma rubs a hand over her stomach. " _Thank you, Your Majesty_ ," Emma says sarcastically. The Queen stares at her for a moment and nods, a smile on her face.

"You're welcome, dear," she says.

"What? That's all you have to say? You might have saved me, but that doesn't take away from everything else you've done since you came to town. You have to do a lot more than that to make us believe that you actually care about what happens to me or anyone else in my family."

"Well, I _don't_ care about everyone in your family. Henry, of course, he is _our_ son after all. While I don't care about my other half, I do have to ensure that nothing happens to her if I want to continue living. Your parents on the other hand..." A look of pure distaste marrs The Queen's features. "I couldn't care less about whatever fate met them in the end. I'd be more than willing to join up with the figure under the hood in that case."

Emma grabs an extra pillow out from under her and chucks it at The Queen's head. The look of absolute shock that crosses The Queen's face makes any possible torture she is sure to throw her way absolutely worth it.

"Miss Swan! How dare you throw a _pillow_ at me. You are aware I could end your life with a flick of my wrist, are you not?" Her voice is dangerously low, and Emma shivers despite herself at the alluring tone.

Emma shrugs, feigning nonchalance. "I thought we already established that you want me alive."

"Maybe so, but you'd still be plenty alive in a coma, and much less bothersome." The Queen flicks her in the arm. "Or better yet, under a sleeping curse," she squeals in delight.

"There are multiple people in this town that can break that curse. That curse of yours is becoming less and less effective every time it's used," Emma says.

The Queen looks her up and down, the blankets suddenly thrown off of Emma's lower body as The Queen snaps her fingers. "I can think of plenty of other ways to get my revenge. All kinds of torture." The Queen leans forward and trails her fingers, ever so slowly, up over Emma's knee, bunching Emma's gown up her thigh as The Queen's fingers trail higher and higher.

Emma's breath lodges in her throat when their eyes meet, and The Queen's fingers near the top of her thigh.

"Stop," Emma says, choking out the word. The Queen's fingers halt their ascent, but stay where they are, tracing patterns on her skin.

"Are you sure about that? Because that didn't sound very certain." The Queen is leaning so far forward that her breath ghosts over Emma's face. Her fingers start to move upwards again, and Emma shoves them away, and pushes her gown back down. She grabs the blankets and pulls them back over herself.

"If you can't keep your hands to yourself, then you can't stay. Are we clear on that?" Emma says.

"You seemed to like me not keeping my hands to myself," The Queen purrs, the words a whisper right into her ear.

"None of that either," Emma says, pushing The Queen back toward her chair.

"You're no fun," The Queen says, but sits back down.

"I can be plenty _fun_ ," Emma says. "But not with you, and not in a hospital."

"Your cheeks are still flushed dear. You may not want to have _fun_ with me, but your body certainly does," The Queen says suggestively.

"I think it's time for you to go," Emma says with a sigh.

The Queen shows no signs of moving anytime soon. "We can keep this nice and boring if you like. Just go back to sleep, dear; you look awful." She picks the pillow off the floor where it had landed, and tosses it back at Emma who catches it before it can hit her.

Emma tucks the pillow behind her, but keeps her eyes open. "If I was going to smother you in your sleep I would have kept the pillow. Now rest." Emma hesitates, and The Queen sighs in response. "I will sit here in this chair and not move. Someone has got to make sure the figure under the hood doesn't decide to come back while you're asleep."

"The Evil Queen is going to be my guardian angel?" Emma asks dubiously.

"I wear many hats. Now sleep," she says. Emma stares at her for a moment longer before nestling into her pillows and closing her eyes.

"Good night, Princess," The Queen says, and Emma's already half asleep by the time The Queen gets the words out.

 **A/N: Leave a review and let me know what you thought =)**


	3. Chapter 3

"Stop fidgeting, dear. You can't go anywhere until Whale says so. So do try to relax," Regina says, looking up from her book with a raised brow.

Emma sighs and throws herself back against the pillows of her hospital bed. She crosses her skinny jean clad legs one over the other; the hem of her white tank top inches upwards, pale stomach slowly revealed more and more as she stretches her arms over her head.

"I know, but how long does it take for Whale to sign off on everything. I'm beginning to think he's taking his time on purpose." Emma glares at the open door.

Regina sets her book down on the small table beside her. "I'm not one to stand behind everything Whale does, but I do think you are being just a bit dramatic." Emma glares at her, but Regina just smiles in return.

"I think Emma's got a point," Hook says, from where he leans against the wall opposite Emma's bed. "How long do we have to spend in this hospital?"

Emma looks at Regina as if to say, _see, I'm not the only one who thinks so_.

"You _are_ being dramatic, Ma," Henry says, from Regina's side. "But I do want us to get home and get settled."

Emma leans up on her elbows. "Henry, you're going home with your mom. I don't want you staying at my house if whoever tried to kill me comes back," she says.

"So you should be alone so no one is there to help if the figure comes back to hurt you again?" Henry asks, his tone so similar to Regina's that Emma really does think nurture wins out over nature.

Regina puts a hand on Henry's arm. "Your mother and I are going to put wards on the house. We'll make sure it's as safe as possible; there's no need for you to worry," Regina says soothingly.

"Great, so then there's no reason I can't stay with Ma," Henry says. His grin stretches across his face, certain in his argument.

"Henry, I love you, but I want you to stay with your mom," Emma says. "No matter the precautions we take, there is still a target on my back, and the closer you are to me, the bigger risk of you getting caught in the crossfire." She sits up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed, facing Henry.

"So we just leave you alone to fight this all on your own?" Henry asks, his hands forming fists on his lap. "We're a _family_ , Ma, and that means we fight this _together_."

"That is exactly what it means, Henry," Regina says. She takes Henry's hands, uncurling his fists and rubbing her thumbs over his palms. "We are going to do everything we can to keep your mother safe. All of us. Together. Regardless of you staying with your mother or not."

"If I can't stay with Ma," Henry's eyes gleam as the idea strikes him, "then why doesn't she just stay with us? That way she's not all alone, and you have both of your magic to protect her and me." He turns from Regina to Emma, waiting for them to see the brilliance of his plan.

"Henry-" Regina begins, but it's in that moment that Hook decides to remind them all of his presence in the room.

"Why don't I stay at Emma's place. That way she is not alone, and the lad won't be put in any danger."

Henry frowns. "But you don't have magic." He continues looking from one mom to the other, waiting for one of them to agree with him. "If magic was barely able to save Ma, then is a sword or a gun going to be any help?"

"They're going to put wards on the house," Hook says and waves his arm toward Emma and Regina. "And I can protect your mother just fine." His face is screwed up in annoyance at the implications that he is no help in keeping his girlfriend safe.

"I think that-" Emma says, but Hook turns his gaze solely on her.

"No, Swan. You don't need to stay with Henry and Her Majesty. I will stay with you; there's no reason to put them out," Hook says. He sends Regina a leering smile, and her eyes narrow into a glare.

Henry grabs Regina's hand, and she looks down at him, letting out a breath.

"If that's what you want, Emma. If it's not, I hope you know that staying with us would never be putting Henry or I out," Regina says, her smile soft and genuine.

"I-thanks, Regina." Emma glances up at Hook, his face still stearn, and her shoulders sag. "But Hook can stay with me; it's fine, really." She picks at the hem of her tank top, and Regina's eyes narrow in on the action.

Regina watches her silently for a moment, and nods. She doesn't need Emma's superpower to see the truth, but now is not the time.

Right at that moment, Doctor Whale enters the room with Emma's release papers. "How would you feel about an early dinner at Granny's?" Regina murmurs to Henry.

He looks over at Hook and Emma, before turning his attention back to his mother. "Okay."

They say their goodbyes, and make a silent journey to the car and then to Granny's.

"You know that's not what Ma, wanted, right?" Henry blurts out once they've settled into their booth. The words come out in a rush that makes it clear he's been holding them in since they left the hospital.

"Your mother made her decision, Henry. We can't force her into staying somewhere that she does not want to be," Regina says, opening her menu without glancing down at it.

"But she does want to stay with us," Henry argues; he picks at the edge of his menu.

"Your mother made a decision, and we can't take that away from her. Whether it is what she wanted or not, it was her choice to make." She takes his hand across the table and squeezes it.

"But Hook didn't give her a choice."

"And what would that say about us if we tried to force her into staying with us?" Regina asks.

"But you can protect her, Mom. She'd be safer with us," Henry says, now the one to squeeze his mother's hand in reassurance.

"Maybe, maybe not. But for now, all we can do is make sure Emma is as safe as she can be, wherever she is." She gives her son a sad smile. "Your mother would much rather you spend your time eating a burger and fries than dwelling on her safety." She nods at the menu on the table.

"Really?" He asks, his face lighting up with excitement.

"This once, I suppose," she says, fighting a smile, and looks down to her own menu.

Regina leans back in her office chair, pushing her hair back from her eyes. She takes a deep breath and then leans back over her desk, looking down at the paperwork awaiting her signature.

She tries to read the words again, to make some sense of them, but the words all blur together in her mind. She honestly couldn't give a damn about zoning for whatever new business whatever dwarf - Sleepy, Grumpy? Regina's already forgotten his name - wants to open.

How could anyone be worrying about opening a new business when Emma almost _died_? When whoever tried to kill her is _still_ out there? She rubs roughly at her temples before pushing the papers across her desk and rolling her chair back. She marches to the window and pulls the curtain back, looking out over her town, scrutinizing, as if whoever this monster is will just be strolling down mainstreet.

But Archie is walking Pongo. Ruby is on her way to the diner. One of the dwarfs rides down the sidewalk on his bike. Nothing is out of the ordinary.

Sighing, she leans against the windowpane, and stares in the direction of Emma's house. Wards have been placed on the home, and they've yet to find something or someone who is a match for their combined magic. So while logically she knows Emma is as safe as she can be right now, her stomach twists and turns into tangled knots and tries its damndest to convince her otherwise.

She looks back at her desk, at it's so rarely messy surface, and disappears in a cloud of purple magic.

Not much has changed where the dirigible crashed all those months ago. It hides in the shadows of the tall trees, and Regina steps over moss covered debris, brushing cobwebs out of her way as she steps inside.

The thick curtains allow only a trickle of light inside, and Regina can barely make out the faint outline of forgotten trinkets littering the floor. She conjures a flame in her hand, and lets its light guide her way.

Nothing looks as if it's been touched, as if anyone has came back to hide since finding a home safely inside of Storybrooke. Intricate brass light fixtures lie broken on the floor, leaving a torn gap in the wall from which they'd fallen.

A table, with two of its legs broken, leans against the floor, the glass dishes that once rested upon it lie shattered on the floor. Regina carefully steps over the mess.

A tattered curtain blocks the entrance to the next room, and fireball still held cautiously in one hand, she uses her other to push the curtain aside. The fire casts an eerie glow upon the room, and scuttering can be heard the moment she steps fully inside, letting the curtain fall closed behind her.

"Hello?" Regina calls, eyes falling on a bookcase that landed on its side during the crash, and dart to the books scattered on the floor like cobblestones before it. A bunk bed stands against the opposite wall, mattress hanging precariously from its perch; the blankets sport the smallest of patchwork holes.

The sound gets louder, closer- and a squirrel darts from behind the bookcase and runs under the bed. Regina releases the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.

She strides through the room, more confident that the only life she's going to run into are those that have been here since before the town was created.

Just as she steps into the next room, her phone blares to life, that obnoxious pop song Henry set for Emma's calls, echoing through the deserted room. She loses her concentration and the room goes dark as her fireball fades away.

"Hello?" Regina says, her voice sharper than she intends.

"You okay?" Emma asks, concern seeping undisguised. through her tone.

"Yes, dear. I'm fine," she says, voice gentling in a wordless apology as she re-conjures the flame.

"Oh, okay. Good. You never know, with everything that's been going on," Emma says.

"Indeed," Regina says. She looks around the room, and it's much the same as the last two: various furnishing strewn about, each as battered and broken as the last. "What was it you needed?"

It's a moment before Emma speaks. "So I know I said I wanted to stay at my place with Killian, and that I wanted Henry to stay with you - which I do - but I don't want to be confined to it, you know?"

Regina's stomach twists for a whole new reason, and she tries to ignore the feeling.

"It's just that I almost _died_ , and as much as I worry that he'll be put in danger around me, I _need_ to be around him. I figure that if he's around both of us together, he'll be alright. If this figure under the hood does kill me, I just want to makes sure I got to spend as much time with- with Henry, as I can."

Regina leans against the doorjamb as she listens to Emma's words come out faster and faster as she struggles to get her point across.

"But I just want to make sure that's okay with you. If you think it's best that I stay away, as much as I would hate it, I will. I don't want to put you in danger; I don't want to put _either_ of you in danger."

"Emma, we have all been in enough danger since you broke the first curse, that we really should be used to it by now," Regina says with an exasperated sigh. "There's no sense in being any more afraid of this latest threat than we have the rest." She turns and walks from the room, back to the dirigible's exit.

"Yeah," Emma says, letting out a discomforted laugh. "I'm just afraid of someone getting caught in the crossfire, when the only one this stranger seems to be after is me."

"We can fight this together, Emma," Regina says. She steps outside, and takes a deep breath of the fresh air. "There are wards around my house as well; why don't you come over for dinner tonight? Just you, me and Henry."

"I'd like that," Emma says, and Regina can hear the smile in her voice.

"Good, then that's settled. Was there anything else you needed, Miss Swan?" Regina asks, a smile tugging at the edge of her mouth.

"Nah, I should probably get back to work anyway. I'll see you tonight, Regina," Emma says.

"I'll see you tonight, dear. Now get back to work; I don't know what I'm paying you for half the time," Regina says, feigning annoyance.

"Fine, fine, I'm going," Emma says with a laugh before she hangs up.

Regina's smile is still stretched firmly across her face when she slips her cell phone back into her blazer pocket.

"Aw how sweet is this?" The Queen says, and Regina just barely keeps herself from jumping at the surprise. She leans against the nearest tree, her royal blue dress hugging her - their - curves. "Let me guess? Talking to the Princess?"

Regina's smile turns to a frown, and The Queen smirks. "I mean, I suppose that is a good thing, after all. It means she has still managed to evade death," The Queen continues.

"What do you want?" Regina says, her good mood from talking to Emma now gone.

"Well, obviously you're trying to find any clues that will lead you back to the hooded figure," she says, stepping away from the tree and sweeping her arms out toward the dirigible. "Any luck with that?" Her voice is taunting.

"Why do you care? Oh, wait, you're just looking out for yourself. That's not really a cause I feel like supporting," Regina says and now she is the one to smirk.

"Maybe you don't, but I think your dear, sweet Emma, would disagree," The Queen says, batting her eyelashes. "She does seems to enjoy this side of us." She sways her hips slightly, her skirt flowing around her.

Regina steps forward out of instinct. "What did you do to Emma?" The words are a snarl.

"Not so much what I did, as it is what she let me do," she teases, her smile stretching wide.

"Emma would never," Regina says, her eyes dark. She takes deep calming breaths, and tries to get her sudden burst of anger under control.

"I think you'd be surprised what Emma _would_ do," The Queen says. "Separating us has left you rather prudish, hasn't it?"

"Ah, so you're just here to try and get under my skin," Regina says, nodding in understanding.

"Well, you see, dear, I don't really have to try; you just make it so easy to do," The Queen says and walks towards Regina, circling her like a lion ready to attack it's prey. "At the very mention of _The Savior_ you go all mushy and soft. It's quite pathetic." The Queen stops in her pacing, and taps a finger against her temple in thought. "No wonder she prefer me to you. Besides the way you dress," she gestures to Regina's black slacks and blazer, "is hardly befitting of a queen."

Regina sighs. "I'm getting rather bored of all your ranting. You think _so_ highly of yourself, I know; I was you once," Regina reminds her. "Is there any point at all to this conversation?"

"Other than to remind you in how much you are failing your Princess and yourself? Not especially at the moment, but I do find it to be rather... _invigorating_ ," The Queen says, her eyes sparkling.

"As enlightening as this conversation has been, I really must-" Regina's cellphone starts ringing again. She sighs are pulls it roughly from her pocket.

"What?" She snaps into the phone, without looking into the caller ID. "This isn't really a good-"

"Regina," Hook says into the line, her name laced with so much panic that her blood turns cold.

"What's wrong? Is Emma-" Regina asks in a rush. The Queen's taunting demeanor instantly turns serious. She quickly walks to her other half's side, listening into the one half of the conversation she can hear.

"I went to the station to see her, and the wound-" he chokes on the word. The dread in the pit of Regina's stomach instantly takes over her entire body.

Without another word, she transports herself and The Queen to the station.

"What is the meaning of-" The Queen begins, but the words fall short when she takes in the sheriff laying on the floor, her shirt bunched up to reveal the, once again, open gash on her stomach. Blood streams from the wound and onto the floor. "Oh." The Queen sucks in a startled breath.

"You didn't think to put pressure on the wound?" Regina snaps at Hook as she hurries to Emma and sinks down beside her. She lifts her hands and her magic flows out in violet streams. "Are you going to help or not?" Regina calls over her shoulder to The Queen.

"Right," The Queen says, and her smirk is back in place as she stalks forward. "Out of my way, Pirate." Hook is flung ten feet back and crashes into a filing cabinet as she passes him.

She kneels down on Emma's other side, and brushes her palms together before joining her magic with Regina's.

"R'gina?" Emma slurs, cracking her eyes open. Her face is twisted up in pain, and she sucks in a sharp breath, when Regina forces her magic even faster from her fingertips.

"It's okay, Emma. You're going to be okay," Regina says, voice strained, not allowing herself to imagine any other outcome.

"The're two of you," Emma mumbles as her eyes drift between the two Reginas. "So pretty." A hint of smile sneaks into Emma's pained expresses for a brief moment.

"As much as I love your compliments, Princess, I hardly think now is the time," The Queen says between clenched teeth. She looks to Regina in confusion as the flow of blood slows only by the slightest increment at their combined magic.

Regina's forehead scrunches in frustration as she meets the Queen's gaze. "What did you do last time? Because you're clearly not doing it now," Regina snaps.

"I am doing every bit of what I did last time. Something is different," The Queen hisses. She looks back down, and lowers her hands directly onto Emma's skin, feeling the slipperiness of blood on her hands. Emma sucks in another sharp breath. "Come on, Princess. Why are you fighting this?" Emma lets out a soft grunt in response.

The Queen looks to Regina again, her eyebrow raised in question. Regina nods, and lowers her hands onto Emma's abdomen. She tries not to flinch at the blood she feels running beneath her hands.

At the touch of the Reginas' hands pressing magic directly onto the wound, the bleeding lets up the slightest amount. A small tendril of hope crawls its way into the pit of Regina's stomach. "Come on, Emma. You can fight this. You've done it before and you can do it again."

The Queen is silent as they continue to pour their magic into The Savior, and minute by minute, the color begins to return to Emma's skin. She spreads her fingers looking through the gaps, as Emma's skin laces itself back together.

When the skin is firmly closed together, Regina waves a hand over the mess of blood covering their bodies and the floor. Emma sucks in a breath when the purple magic recedes back into Regina and The Queen's hands, and she opens her eyes.

"Fuck." She takes another deep breath. "We've got to stop meeting like this," Emma says to The Queen.

The Queen smirks, but it's softer, more gentle, than before. "What did I say?" She raises an eyebrow at Regina. "She wants me around."

"Emma is smarter than to fall for your lies, no matter how pretty you make them sound," Regina says.

Emma reaches out her hands and takes Regina's and The Queen's hands in her own. "Ugh, guys. I almost died. Can we stop the arguing for five minutes?" Emma asks, eyes falling closed again.

Regina gives Emma an apologetic smile that she doesn't see. "Of course, dear. I apologize."

"'S okay," Emma says.

The Queen stares down at the hand that Emma holds in wonder. Emma opens her eyes and watches her. "Thank you," Emma whispers. The Queen startles and lifts her gaze to Emma.

"What?" she asks, just as softly. Emma gives her a gentle smile.

"You saved me. Again. Both of you." Emma turns her smile on Regina, and squeezes both of their hands.

Regina clears her throat, but her words still come out hoarse. "We're just lucky that Queenie here thought it would be a good time to terrorize me."

"And you thought there was no point in me doing so. Now you won't be so quick to send me away next time, will you?" The Queen asks and Regina rolls her eyes.

"It was lucky." Emma ignores The Queen's comment. "Thank you," Emma says again.

"Anytime," Regina says, and with her free hand, she brushes Emma's hair from her forehead and tucks it behind her ear.

"Emma?" Hook says with a groan as he returns to consciousness.

"Killian?" Emma turns her head to the side, lips brushing against the palm of Regina's hand that still rests against the side of her head. Regina's cheeks darken as she pulls her hand away. The Queen looks from Regina's hand to blush stained cheeks and gives her a wicked smile.

"Why are you on the floor?" Emma asks, oblivious to the exchange going on between Regina and The Queen.

"Because _Her Majesty_ decided to throw me across the room for sport," Hook says, struggling to his feet.

"You were in my way. You did want me to save your girlfriend, did you not?" The Queen asks.

Emma tugs on The Queen's hand. "There are better ways to get someone out of your way, and I know that you know that."

"But none of them are quite as effective. Or as quick," The Queen says. She pulls her hand to rest on her knees, but doesn't release Emma's.

"You've saved Emma more than once, but you still haven't given us any other reason to allow you to stick around," Hook says.

"First off, you don't _allow_ me to do anything. I will do what I please. Secondly, you would think that saving your girlfriend's life would rank pretty high for important things that I can do for you." The Queen looks down to Emma. "You really could do much better, Princess. You have multiple options, just in this room alone. Why, there isn't a single one of us that wouldn't-"

"Enough," Regina says, forcing the word to come out even. "Emma needs to rest, not endure this ridiculous banter."

"I am pretty tired," Emma says, closing her eyes, snuggling slightly into Regina's knees, where they press against her side.

"Well," The Queen says, releasing Emma's hand and resting it gently against her stomach. "I really must be going. Call me when you are failing, once again, to save your girlfriend." A cloud of purple engulfs her and she disappears from the room.

Emma is snoring softly by the time The Queen is gone. "Well I should get Emma-" Hook begins.

"You will wake her if you so much as try to move her. I'll get her home just fine," Regina tells the pirate, and before he can say another word, her and Emma are gone, leaving him all alone at the station.


	4. Chapter 4

"So what are we looking for exactly?" Emma asks, picking up a small golden trinket off one of the many shelves inside Regina's vault.

"Anything we can find on that sword. Your wound shouldn't have been able to reopen like that-" Regina looks up from the ancient tome on the table in front of her. "Put that down," she says, stepping around the table and snatching a small vial, filled with a glittering black liquid, out of Emma's hands. "You can't just go picking up everything that you see. Some of the things in here are dangerous."

Regina turns around, going back to her book. Emma glances back to the shelve, her fingers just a hairsbreadth away from an emerald jewelry box. "Emma," Regina snaps from the other side of the table. "What did I just tell you? No. Touching."

"Sorry," Emma mumbles, returning her hands to her sides and looking properly chastised.

"As I was saying," Regina looks back down to the book in front of her, scanning the page before turning it, "your wound shouldn't have reopened. So there must be something more to that sword, and maybe I can find out what that is."

Regina continues reading, a slim finger tracing the lines as she goes. She sucks in a sharp breath, and freezes.

"Did you find something?" Emma asks eagerly, moving quickly to the table, in front of Regina.

After a moment, Regina meets Emma's eyes, swallowing visibly. "What...what if it had nothing to do with the sword," Regina says softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "What if I didn't heal it properly? What if my magic wasn't enough to save you?" Her eyes are wide, glistening, her hand trembling where it rests on the book.

"Regina, hey, no." Emma moves quickly around the table. She puts a hand on Regina's shoulder and turns her around so they are facing. "Your magic _was_ enough. I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for you. You _did_ save me."

Regina looks down, refusing to meet Emma's eyes. The hand on Regina's shoulder squeezes gently, and with her other hand, Emma puts a finger underneath Regina's chin tilting her head back up to face her. "Look at me," Emma says, quietly. "You can't blame yourself for what happened. We have no idea what's causing this, and have you ever heard of a wound reopening after being healed with magic?"

Regina shakes her head, causing Emma's finger to drop and she moves it to rest on Regina's other shoulder. "But that doesn't mean it hasn't happened before," Regina says. "If it has, we need to find some sort of information on how to counteract it, before it happens again." Her face turns pensive.

"That's a good plan, however, I don't think that's where we should start. Doctor Whale said the scans came back clear; there wasn't a single sign showing what happened to me. If there was something wrong with how you healed me he would have caught it.

"We should start with the sword; I think it's our best bet," Emma says with a nod. She gives Regina's shoulders one last squeeze before dropping her hands. She turns and looks down at the book.

Regina turns back to it as well, her arm brushing against Emma's. "I just don't want to be the cause of you getting hurt. If something happened to you and it was my fault, I couldn't-" Her breath catches in her throat, the words refusing to come.

"No," Emma says fiercely, looking at Regina. "Stop thinking like that. Stop throwing a pity party. If something happens to me because you were too busy feeling sorry for yourself instead of helping to find out what is _really_ going on, then you can blame yourself. But right now I need you. You are our best chance of understanding whatever curse might have been put on the sword.

"You saved me, and we both know you're going to do it again and again until my time is actually up, and even then it still won't be your fault. Unless you, you know, go all Evil Queen on us again and decide to go after me," Emma says the last part with a grin.

Her smiles grows when Regina finally meets her eyes. "See, it's not your fault."

Emma lifts a hand and cups Regina's cheek, and she leans into The Savior's touch unintentionally, a soft smile turning up the corners of her lips. Their quiet breathing the only noise to fill the room as they look at each other, neither one daring to look away.

Emma's gaze drops to Regina lips. Regina's eyes widen and she sucks in a sharp, but quiet, breath.

Emma turns her body toward Regina, leaning closer. But as she turns, she bumps into the table, knocking over an intricate black vase that rolls onto the stone floor, shattering on impact.

"Shit," Emma says, jumping back and kneeling over the pile of broken glass, hands outstretched, as if to push the pieces back together.

Regina stands frozen, the air leaving her lungs in a rush, hardly noticing the scene before her.

"Shit," Emma says again. "I'm so sorry, Regina. I didn't mean to. I was just-" She cuts herself off, eyes going wide. "I mean, I leaned too close to the table. Too clumsy. I'll buy you a new one." The words come out quickly, all strung together.

Regina blinks, and looks down at Emma. "It's quite alright, dear." Her words come out roughly, and she clears her throat. She waves her hand and the pieces float back together until they are whole and the vase rests back upon the table. "See, no harm done."

"Still. I'm sorry I did that," Emma says, looking at her feet. Regina gets the feeling she's talking about more than just the vase.

"You're already forgiven," Regina says, reaching an arm out towards Emma, who's eyes snap toward the movement so quickly that Regina falters, dropping her arm back down to her side. "We should get back to trying to find something about the sword." She turns a page of the book roughly enough that it strains, nearly tearing. "There's another book on that shelf. Why don't you read through that one." She points to a shelf across the room without looking up.

Emma's shoulders tense. "Yeah, okay," she says and moves across the room. She picks up the book, and turns back around. She looks toward the table and hesitates. A metal stool to her right catches her eye, and she moves toward it and sits.

She balances the book awkwardly on her lap, and resigns herself to an inevitable aching back.

"Mom?" Henry calls, knocking on the half-open door of Regina's home study.

"Yes, Henry?" Regina asks, looking up from her desk, black rimmed glasses perched on her nose. Henry pushes the door open the rest of the way and steps inside the room.

"Did you and Ma find anything in the vault today?" he asks, leaning back against the arm of the sofa where it faces Regina's desk.

"No," Regina says with a sigh. She leans back in her chair and sets her glasses on top of an open book. "But that doesn't mean I'm not trying." She waves her arms at the piles of books stacked haphazardly across the desk's surface.

"I know you are," Henry says. He steps up to the desk and lifts open the cover of a book before letting it fall closed with a soft thud. "I know you're trying harder than anyone else. You and Ma don't fight each other anymore; you fight _for_ each other."

"Henry," Regina says softly, with a smile, and reaches for his hand.

He lets her take his hand in her own. "If there is anything to find in any of these books you'll find it; I know you will…" His gaze drifts downward.

"But?" Regina asks.

"But what if it isn't soon enough?" His voice is quiet, and he appears to shrink into himself.

"It's alright to be worried. What is happening to your mother is…"

"Terrifying," Henry whispers. Regina stands and walks around her desk and leads Henry to the couch.

"Yes, it is terrifying," she says, sitting beside Henry and pulling him into her side. "But we can't let that fear dictate our every thought. We can be cautious and we can try and find everything we can about what is happening to your mother, but we can't let it consume us."

"I know, but it's hard not to think about it. The wound reopened once, so what if it does happen again? What if The Queen isn't there to help this time?" His voice is thick and when he looks up, tears are running down his cheeks.

"I know it's hard not to think about," Regina says, wrapping her arms tighter around him. "But it doesn't help anyone to dwell on what could happen; your mother reminded me of that."

"You worry about her too," Henry says, looking up at her.

"You know that I do, Henry," Regina says.

"No, I mean you _care_ about her," he says, exaggerating the word.

"Your mother and I are finally at a point where I can say without a doubt that we are friends. She is probably my best friend," she says softly.

"I know she is. But you and Ma have never just been friends. When I first brought her to Storybrooke, you hated each other, and then you learned to get along and now you're friends. But it's never just been about that."

"No, for the longest time it was about you; although now, your mother and I can both admit our relationship is more than just both of us being your mother."

Henry sighs loudly. "Mom. Are you purposely being dense?"

"Henry," Regina admonishes. He looks apologetic for a moment.

"You and Ma care about each other, and it's more than just being about me or even about you just being friends. You and Ma _love_ each other."

"Henry, that's…" Regina says, eyes unfocused as she stares over the top of Henry's head.

"True?" Henry supplies. Regina opens her mouth to speak, but no words come out. "You don't have to say anything, and you don't have to admit anything. Right now." The smirk on his face undoubtedly learned from her. "But maybe just work on admitting it yourself."

He extricates himself from his mother's arms and stands, giving her a sheepish smile. "I'm going to do my homework; call me if you find anything," he says, glancing at the books on her desk, and then bounds from the room as if he hadn't shaken her world completely.

Regina slumps into the couch with a loud sigh, her arm resting over her eyes.

"I don't like it; I don't _trust_ him," Emma says, hands shoved into the pockets of her red leather jacket for warmth.

"And you think I do?" Regina asks as they walk down the sidewalk. "I've spent days going through book after book, and I still haven't found _anything_ useful. No sword that seems to keep attacking long after it's gone. No curse to make it do so.

"He's the only other person in this town that might possibly know anything about what's happening." She frowns as the pawn shop comes into sight.

"I know." Emma sighs. "But I still don't like it," she says, pulling her hands from her pockets.

Regina sends her a grim look, and her hand twitches at her side, as if to reach out to Emma's, just inches away. But she curls her hand into a fist and presses it into her side. She looks back toward the pawn shop, determination coloring her features.

A bell chimes as Regina turns the handle and pushes the door open. They step into the empty store. "Gold?" Emma calls.

A murmuring of voices reaches their ears. "Yes, dear?" a voice that is decidedly not Gold, replies, pushing aside the curtain and striding forward.

"What are you doing here?" Regina asks.

The Queen leans lazily against the counter. "Hmm this and that." She waves a hand through the air, the gesture still just as careless.

Gold finally makes an appearance, his cane thumping against the floor with each step. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asks in a voice that makes it clear it is no pleasure at all. "As if one of you wasn't enough." He glares toward The Queen, who lifts a hand to appraise her nails, smirking.

"I have a question...about a certain sword," Regina begins.

"Ah such a popular weapon, I see," he says, glancing back toward The Queen.

"Like I said, it's good to know what you're up against," The Queen says, lowering her hand and looking towards her double.

Regina ignores her other half. "So you know why it is we need to know about this sword."

"A sword whose blade appears to keep working even after the wound has closed. Can't say I've ever heard of such a thing before. Now if you'll excuse me," he says, turning to reenter the back of the shop.

"You're lying," Emma says, super power pinging relentlessly. Gold faces them again.

"The question is what do you have to offer me for what I know?" he asks, a glint in his eyes.

"What do you want?" Emma asks.

"I want the sword itself. I'll tell you what I know, but first you must promise that once this sword makes another appearance you will do whatever it takes to bring it to me," he says, both hands on his cane as he leans against it.

Regina laughs. "And put a weapon with that much power in your hands." She turns and starts toward the door, reaching blindly back for Emma, to pull her along. The Queen's eyes narrow in on the gesture, and she quickly looks up toward Emma, who meets her eyes. The Queen looks back at the offered hand, daring Emma to take it.

"Why do you want the sword?" Emma asks. Regina looks back, hand resting on the door handle.

"I have a want for _unique_ items," he says, looking around the room with a poor imitation of a smile.

"Regina, maybe we should consider it," Emma says.

Regina looks at Emma for a moment. "You're serious," she says. "Have you not yet learned that it is best not to make deals with the devil?" Gold preens at the name.

"I was well on my way to making my own deal, before you two barged in and threw that down the drain," The Queen says, looking bored. "Although I must say, I like your offer much better than my own."

Gold pays her no mind. "That is my price. Take it or leave it," he says. Regina looks pleadingly at Emma, who sighs, and follows Regina toward the door.

"Whipped," The Queen singsongs. "No wonder you didn't gives us the same offer." She laughs, and pushes herself off the counter, following the pair out the door.

"If you change your mind…" Gold says. The Queen rolls her eyes and exits the shop, catching up to Emma and Regina, her stiletto boots clicking against the pavement.

"What do you want?" Emma says, stopping and turning around abruptly, nearly causing The Queen to fall. Instinctually, Emma reaches out to steady the other woman, her hands coming out to rest on The Queen's hips. Regina clears her throat when her other half regains her balance, but Emma's hands have yet to move.

Emma starts to jump backwards, but The Queen grabs her wrists, holding her hands in place. "If she wants her hands on me she's more than welcome to have them there," she tells Regina, with a smirk. The Queen leans in closer to Emma. "My hips or anywhere else that you like." Her breath brushes Emma's ear, the words a purr.

"At least don't do this in public," Regina says, annoyed. She wraps them all in a cloud of purple, and they reappear in her living room.

"What? Afraid to be seen getting _too_ close to The Savior?" The Queen asks over Emma's shoulder.

"No, I'm afraid for Emma to be seen with you," Regina says with a glare. "At least get a room, the both of you."

"Jealous are we?" The Queen says.

"What?" Emma cries at the same time.

"I don't trust you. I know exactly what you're capable of and I don't want you anywhere near Emma or the rest of my family," Regina says, taking a step forward.

"Well, Em- _ma_ sure seems to want me around," she says, closing the space between her and Emma, pressing their bodies lightly together. Emma sinks into the contact, before her eyes widen and she stumbles backward. The Queen slides her hands from their grip on Emma's wrists down to entwine their fingers, now the one to keep Emma from losing her balance - and to keep her from getting too far away.

Emma pulls her hands from The Queen's grasp and walks backwards to Regina's side. The Queen sits down on the couch and crosses her legs, looking as if she were sitting upon a throne.

"The real question then, is if you don't want me anywhere near Emma, why is it that you brought me with you?" The Queen's eyes are dancing, a smile on her lips. "Is it perhaps that you can't deny our dear Savior anything - or _anyone_ \- that she wants?"

"I don't want-"

"We've been through this, Princess. Your words say one thing, but your body says another. Maybe you could deny it the first time, but when it _keeps on happening_ ," she practically sings the words.

Regina's eyes narrow; Emma's cheeks darkening. Regina looks from The Queen to Emma. "What happened?" Regina asks softly.

"Nothing happened," Emma says, her voice too high. She takes a breath and tries again. "Nothing happened; I didn't let anything happen."

"As much as she wanted to," The Queen says, but the words are ignored.

"If you want- I won't stop you. I will never trust her, but if that's - if _she's_ \- what you want…" Regina says, voice small, vulnerable.

"Hey," Emma says, and brings the palm of her hand to Regina's cheek. "I don't trust her either."

"Not trusting and not wanting are two different things, Emma," Regina says. Emma brushes her thumb across Regina's cheekbone.

The Queen giggles. "It looks as if we have ourselves a little love triangle. Or is it really a love triangle if there are two of us?" The Queen questions.

"This isn't a love triangle," Emma says, not removing her hand.

"It's certainly something, seeing as you can't seem to keep your hands off either one of us," The Queen says.

"I could never be with you. Like Regina's said, we don't trust you," Emma says.

The Queen looks genuinely hurt for a moment before regaining her composure. "'Always the villain, even when I'm not.'"

"Right," Regina snorts. Emma drops her hand, and Regina misses the warmth immediately.

"You are always so quick to dismiss the fact that _I_ helped save your princess. If I decide not to help next time, then where will you be? We both know where Emma will be." She looks pointedly toward the ground, before looking back to the two women in front of her. "You need me. You both need me."

"Once we figure out what this sword is we can figure out how to counteract whatever it is that it's doing to Emma," Regina says.

"Well, I see I'm _not_ needed then," The Queen says, and stands, walking towards the doorway. She looks over her shoulder. "You best hope, that your dear princess, doesn't die in the meantime." They hear the front door close a moment later.

"She's right; we need to find a solution quickly," Regina says. "Maybe we should reconsider Gold's offer."

Emma looks at her incredulously. "I know I said that earlier, but you know I tend not to make the smartest decisions in the heat of the moment. We'll keep researching; we'll find another way."

"And if we don't find the answer soon enough?" Regina asks.

"We will. Do you really want me to give one of my mother's hope speeches?" Emma asks with a raised brow. Regina makes a face. "I thought so."

Regina laughs. "You're right. We'll figure something out."

"We always do," Emma says, with a wide smile.

Henry yelps when he catches movement over the top of his comic. He sits up against his headboard, staring at The Queen sitting in his desk chair. "What do you want?"

"Is that anyway to greet your mother?" she asks.

"You're not my mother," he says, sitting his comic book in his lap.

"I thought of everyone, you were on my side, Henry," she says.

"I want to be on your side. You saved Ma, and that's good, but you have to keep doing good. You have to prove that you're a hero. You know how long it took for everyone to believe that my mom was good. She had to work for it; she did work for it, and you have to do the same."

"It's not that easy," The Queen says.

Henry shakes his head. "It never is. But that's part of what makes you a hero; you keeping fighting even when it's not easy."

"You don't know how hard I've fought."

"Maybe not, but I do know that what you've fought for wasn't what you _should_ have been fighting for. You can be good, if you want to. Everyone else may not be able to see it yet, but I can," he says, giving her an encouraging smile.

The Queen walks over to Henry's bed and sits on the edge of it. "I don't know if I can do what you want, Henry. I want to do that for you, but I don't know if-"

"Then don't do it for me," Henry says, and moves to the edge of the bed to sit next to The Queen. "Do it for you."

Tears well up in The Queen's eyes, but don't spill over. She looks down at the comic that now sits on his bed. "Wolverine," she says with a faint smile. "He was always my favorite."

"I know," Henry says and returns her smile. "Just think about what I've said, okay?"

The Queen starts to argue, but shakes her head. "I'll think about it, but I don't make a single promise. It's all sounds rather boring to me." Henry rolls his eyes. "I should go before Regina catches me. I've already spent too much time around her precious savior. As much as I would like to press my luck, I am not quite in the mood for it. Goodbye, Henry." She stands and runs her hand through his hair before disappearing.

 **A/N: As always, I'd love to know what you thought. So leave a review and let me know =)**


End file.
